Chaos as Spain Clears Ceuta Migrant Camps

On Friday, Spanish police launched a large-scale operation to relocate thousands of migrants who, following a mass arrival from Morocco, had spent the night on the beaches and streets of the North African city of Ceuta.

The operation was accompanied by stampedes and scuffles as people scrambled for the limited number of spots in the new temporary center. Amid the chaos, police fired rubber bullets into the air and struck several migrants with batons. The situation later calmed down, and the relocation continued.

The new facility in the port has a capacity of approximately 1,700 people, but according to non-governmental organizations, thousands more remain without shelter.

At the end of July, more than 72,000 people crossed the border into Ceuta from Morocco during an extraordinary wave of migration. Most of them later left the enclave; according to Spanish estimates, approximately 10,000 remain there.

Adult men are being housed in the new center, while minors are being accommodated separately. Non-governmental organizations are criticizing the authorities for the slow pace at which they are providing basic shelter.

(Reuters, mja)